Patil orders team to probe baby thefts

Less than a week after a day-old boy was stolen from Nowrosjee Wadia Hospital in Central Mumbai last Wednesday, the state government asked Mumbai Police on Tuesday to form an independent team to investigate baby thefts from public hospitals.

At a meeting with Mumbai Police, BMC officials and Mayor Sunil Prabhu, Home Minister R R Patil also announced a prize of Rs 50,000 for teams cracking cases of such thefts.

He suggested further beefing up security in maternity and gynaecology sections to prevent theft of newborns.

Patil ordered increased security at hospitals. He suggested appointment of newly trained State Security Corporation guards and installation of CCTV cameras at entrances to hospitals.

Parents' nightmare

In 2010, an infant was stolen from a healthcare centre in Shivaji Nagar by a burqa-clad women

The same year, another boy was taken away from V N Desai Hospital in the suburbs

Chembur couple Mohini and Mohan Nerurkar lost a three-day-old boy at Sion Hospital in January 2009. An unidentified woman stole the baby

A four-day-old of Vidya Chavan was stolen from J J Hospital in January 2003.

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